Dyeing your hair for the first time is a lot more of an experience than I initially thought. I just recently dyed my hair for the first time during my birthday weekend. Previous to that I had virgin hair, I didn’t own a blow dryer, and I only styled my hair with heat a maximum of 4 times a month. My hair was essentially healthy, soft, and low maintenance. However, after dyeing my hair the health of my hair went from 100 to 0 by the time I left the salon. At first I was irritated and I felt regret but I obviously overreacted and have since learned how to manage my hair. To keep the shock of dyeing your hair to a minimum here are a few things to keep in mind when dyeing your hair for the first time.
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1. It’s Not a One Time Thing
One of the things you should know when dyeing your hair for the first time is that it is not a going to be a one time thing. That means two things, first your hair will be processed again so make sure to keep your hair healthy in between appointments. Second, make sure you have the funds to upkeep your hair. The reason I say dyeing your hair is not a one time thing is because hair dye fades after several washes or from being under the sun too much. So keep this in mind when dyeing your hair, especially a bright colour like red or purple.
2. Investing in Products
Like I said in the introduction, prior to dyeing, my hair was fairly low maintenance. Now, I have to use a shampoo and conditioner that will “lock in my dyed hair colour”, as well as moisturizing creme and an anti-frizz serum after the shower. Plus, when styling my hair with heat, I now have to be extra generous with the heat protection spray and I have to use a shine spray afterwards to keep my hair from looking dull. In short, you’ll be buying a lot of products to maintain your hair.
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3. The Health of Your Hair Will Change
I knew that hair got damaged when you dyed it, especially if you are lightening your hair like I did however, I didn’t know that even when your hair was as healthy as mine was there is still no saving it during the dyeing process. It will literally be dry and brittle the first few days. After dyeing my hair would be unbelievably knotty and I would have to spend several minutes trying to brush the knots out. Luckily, after I started using a moisturizing creme, I saw my hair start to feel and look much softer.
4. Your Face
Changing the colour of your hair will change the colour of your face. When you dye your hair darker your skin tone will appear to look lighter and vice versa. Now, I’m sure we all knew that but did you realize this will change how your makeup looks on you as well? When you dye your hair lighter or darker make sure you make adjustments to your eyebrow products if you fill them in. Also, if your skin now looks lighter or darker you may want to consider how colours likes nudes, pastels, and corals, will look on you. Will they make your skin tone looked washed out or will they make certain areas of your face look ashy and grey?
5. Going Dark
If you are dyeing your hair for the first time I recommend lightening it first rather than darkening it. Lightening your hair for the spring/summer and then dying it darker in the fall/winter is much easier than the other way around. If you darken your hair first and then go back next season to lighten it, your hair will need to be stripped with bleach thus causing heavy damage.
6. Consider Your Chemical past
Perhaps you haven't dyed your hair before but you might have gotten a perm. If your perm is still in your hair, keep that in mind when dyeing your hair and make sure you inform your hair stylist. If you are going lighter, many stylists do not recommend dyeing your hair while you still have a perm as you will run the risk of hair falling out in copious amounts.
7. Cheap Salons
Don’t judge a salon’s service by their prices. Your best friend is the internet so use it to look up online reviews of local salons. Many people disregard chain salons or salons in remote areas because they assume the quality of the work will be poor. However, several high priced salons have been known to mess up and I’m sure you know one or two people who have had their hair screwed up by a high end salon. Don’t be fooled in to paying double the price when you don’t have to.
For many women, such as myself, your hair is your safety blanket. So, when I dyed my hair for the first time I was shocked at the maintenance, my hair’s reaction to the chemicals, and how my appearance changed in unanticipated ways. However, dyeing your hair isn’t scary. It just takes some preparation and some getting used to. What are some other things you should know when dyeing your hair for the first time?
Comments
hope: my hair was even healthier when I died it , I died it black and it was brown before. I don't regret at all!
Soraya: I've been dying my hair for some time now and I have thick curly hair that I also straighten regularly. One thing I always do immediately after coloring my hair is deep conditioning it. You can do this with any favorite deep conditioner you own or do a hot oil treatment (heat up any virgin olive oil , coconut oil, etc. and put it on your hair) and let that sit from anywhere between 15 minutes to an hour than wash it out. After this process, even dying my hair light from dark , it felt soft and healthy and was easy to manage.
char: This helped me so much
Aliza: So true! I feel like no one should feel the need to dye their hair, but if they should, just for fun, they should be aware of all these tips. You hair can really suffer from dyeing, and needs to be maintained more frequently then natural-coloured hair.
Carma: Dying your hair natural colors harm it WAY less. There are DIY sprays for that kind of stuff and those don't harm it, but of you're looking for a color like red, purple, blue, anything unnatural, you're going to deal with painful hair.
Ya: just 4 weeks back I got a few purple highlights on the bottom 4 inches of my hair , it was bleached blonde and then purple and I'm naturally a brunette, my hair was pretty long about waist length and it faded to brown lilac blonde it was a mess and so so so dry , felt like a hair of my little pony eventually I cut it and now after being used to having long hair for 18! years I now have just below shoulder length hair I'm so annoyed
Dana: I dyed my hair red on an impulse and my hair never got brittle from the dye so I really got lucky
Amelia: Can you write tips for dying your hair red
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